University of Georgia School of Law

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The University of Georgia School of Law is an American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Athens, Georgia on the campus of the University of Georgia. Formerly known as the Lumpkin School of Law and founded in 1859, it is the second oldest of the University's schools and colleges and one of the oldest public law schools in the United States. The University of Georgia School of Law is currently ranked 34th by U.S. News and World Report rankings of public and private law schools. Its founders were Joseph Henry Lumpkin, William Hope Hull, and Thomas R. R. Cobb.

The law school was created in December of 1859 and was originally located in the Ivy Building, which is now the south wing of the Hunter-Holmes Academic Building. In 1925, the school moved into the Andrew J. Cobb Building and remained there until the Harold Hirsch Law Building was erected in 1932. Harold Hirsch Hall was greatly expanded in 1967 with a large addition that expanded library and added several classrooms, common areas and offices. In 2002, the Law School was renovated to provide internet access and additional classroom space.

Graduates of the law school number more than 8,200 and include 11 governors, in excess of 35 U.S. and state senators and representatives and scores of federal and state judges, prominent attorneys and corporate leaders.^[1] On two occassions, University of Georgia School of Law have simultaneously headed all three branches of state government: the last occassion was in 2002, when Zell Miller was Governor, Norman S. Fletcher was Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, Tom Murphy was Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives and Mark Taylor was President of the Georgia Senate.